


Fated and Inevitable

by Kyriadamorte



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Ben Solo is a bit of a snob, Ben is still Ben, F/M, Force Cults, Rey is aged up, hand holding, not everyone stans the Jedi, shameless jakku worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-09-29 23:19:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17212736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyriadamorte/pseuds/Kyriadamorte
Summary: Padawan Ben's life gets a whole lot more complicated when a group of Force users on Jakku demands he marry one of their own before offering aid to a floundering New Jedi Order.He refuses, of course.  At first.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LueurdeLaube](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LueurdeLaube/gifts).



> This is a Birthday fic for LueurdeLaube. She gave me the prompts "arranged marriage" and (plus one more that I'm not gonna list b/c spoilers). This was originally going to be about a 500 word drabble but it is...um....obviously not that. Couldn't quite finish the whole thing in time, but part 2 will be posted in a few days.
> 
> Note: Rey's age has been messed with in this, but her backstory is largely the same. She's just around Ben's age instead of 9-10 years younger.

When Ben finally goes to live with his uncle, he is thirteen years old.His mother smiles at him as she says goodbye even though there are tears in her eyes.Luke is calm and smiling enigmatically in a way that threatens to summon the rage that landed Ben in this situation in the first place. He hasn't seen or heard from his father since the truly epic shouting match between his parents two nights ago. 

 

The whole thing seems fated and inevitable.

 

The voice in his head agrees.

 

~

 

It's not quite as bad as Ben had imagined. It's not the cure-all his mother thinks it is, either. Still, there are moments that Ben enjoys. Learning how to harness his powers, feeling the Force flow within him when he knows it's okay, it's alright, it's what he's _supposed_ to be doing.

 

And then there are the field-trips off planet.

 

("Excursions, Ben!" his fellow padawan Karshak says every time. "'Field trips' makes it sound like we're little kids!")

 

More often than not, they're just picking up trinkets - broken, useless things as far as Ben can tell, covered in writing he knows Luke can't read. 

 

There are other times, however, when they're looking for people.It's a bit funny (and only mildly irritating) seeing people from nearly a dozen planets stare gobsmacked at his unassuming little uncle - who is already a head shorter than Ben - as he rattles of a spiel that Ben can recite by heart at this point about destiny and service and the galaxy.It's basically just a very long-winded way of saying that "Hey, fork over your kid; the Force said so.Don't worry; you can trust me - I'm Luke Skywalker."

 

At least it sounds that way to Ben.It works a lot more often than he would have anticipated; their little group grows and grows and soon Ben isn't the newest padawan anymore.

 

There aren't as many as Luke was hoping for.

 

~

 

Ben is eighteen years old when they find out why.

 

The Jedi are by far the most well-known Force users throughout the galaxy.It's not surprising; they were heroes, guardians of peace…or the attack-dogs of the Republic, depending on who you ask.They aren't the only ones, though.

 

Little pockets of Force-worshippers had popped up and endured out in the farthest reaches of the known universe.The one on Jedha was wiped out near the latter days of the Empire.

 

Today, they're visiting the one on Jakku.

 

Apparently, the Force has a soft spot for desert shitholes.

 

They're sitting around a fire in a tent that might be older than Ben (might be older than Luke) while everyone drinks overly bitter tea and pretends that things aren't as tense as literally everyone can sense they are.

 

Luke's little speech had not gone over nearly as well as it usually did.

 

"We are not going to join you," says an old woman after an incredibly prolonged and awkward silence."We are not going to give you our texts.We are not going to give you our children children.But we will help you, on one condition."

 

Luke cocks his head in a way Ben's fairly sure he learned from Leia. "Oh?"

 

"This one," she says, cocking her head in Ben's direction.All eyes are suddenly on him and he bears the scrutiny just about as well as he always does.Which is to say, not at all.He can feel his ears turn red and he crosses his arms over his chest before remembering that it makes him look like he's sulking…so then he's uncrossing them but now it just looks like he's stupid and where is he supposed to put his hands-

 

"He will need to marry one of our own."

 

All thought of his hands or his ears is suddenly gone and Ben is choking on their shitty, shitty tea.

 

"You want me to marry off my nephew?Why?

 

"Their destinies are intertwined; the Force has shown it to us.Tension, ebb and flow, a balance - can you not feel it? Perhaps you would see, were you not so blinded by your Jedi teachings."

 

"And why should I agree to it?What 'help' precisely are you offering?"  
  
Ben notices that his opinion about the whole thing has not yet been brought up.Typical.

 

He's in the middle of what threatens to be a truly epic sulk as the elders go back and forth over the terms of this arrangement.There's some talk of shared resources and a more complete training program and 'the will of the Force' ( _fuck,_ but he hates that phrase).All Ben can think of is how stupid and backwards and barbaric the whole thing is.He can't understand why Luke is giving these filthy, backwater scavengers with the delusions of grandeur the time of day, let alone his only nephew.Well, sort of - the possibility of him, at least.

 

"Well, as fascinating as all this is and as much as I would love to discuss this kind of arrangement in more detail, you must understand - for the Jedi, marriage is forbidden."

 

"True. But, then again, they all died," says the wisened old woman, "and we remain. It's up to you to decide if you would like us to step into the future together or spend your time grasping at the fragments of a past you don't even remember."

 

It's the first time Ben can remember anyone but himself suggesting that maybe Luke doesn't entirely know what he's doing.It's not the last.

 

~

 

"I wasn't actually going to marry you off, Ben," Luke says, exasperated, acting like it's Ben, of all people, who is being ridiculous. "I wanted to know what they were offering and why would they bother offering anything to someone who isn't going to give them what they want?"

 

Of course it sounds reasonable when he says it like that. Still.

 

"Can we get the fu-" He sees a raised eyebrow and starts again. "Can we _please_ off this planet, then?"

 

He doesn't want any of the others to think he's actually considering marrying whatever desert rat those elders had picked out for him.

 

~

 

He didn't consider the possibility that the desert rat might find him first. Or that she could sneak up on him.

 

There's a thwack between his shoulder blades and she ducks and dodges before he can pull the offending staff out of her hands.

 

"Why don't you want to marry me?"

 

He's shellshocked for perhaps a good half minute before finding his voice again. "You're right - why wouldn't I want to marry some stranger who stinks to high heaven and hits me before even bothering to say hello?"

 

Her face scrunches up into a deeper scowl. "I don't stink! And I only just hit you so it couldn't have-"

 

She stops and takes a breath.It's as if the Force breathes with her.

 

"Look, I'm sorry I hit you.I was just trying to get your attention."

 

"Do they not have greetings on Jakku?"

 

"Stop avoiding the question!"

 

"I'm not; I already answered!More importantly, why do _you_ want to?" She's seen him now and he's been at least half as rude as he knows how to be; that should be more than enough to put anyone off the idea.

 

"Marriage bonds are important!It-it would solidify the agreement between us- the Jedi and the Listeners." These are all lines someone else has fed her. "And it's the will of the Force."

 

Ben scoffs, throws his bag over his shoulder and continues walking away.He doesn't have time for this.

 

"You're going to come back.I can see it. We will be together."

 

He only spares her a quick glance as he says, "No. I won't."

 

Sweaty and sunburnt and covered in dust and sand, she's still the prettiest girl he's ever seen.

 

He only regrets his decision a little bit.

 

~

 

Months pass and they fail to find even a single new force user who is willing to join them.What's worse, two of Ben's fellow padawans leave - whisked away by families suddenly regretting their decision. There's a bunch of politics about the whole thing that Ben's sure his mother would find absolutely fascinating, but bore him to tears. There are whispers of the New Republic. And the Old Republic. And the older Old Republic.

 

(There are whispers about his family, too, but everyone makes sure he never hears them.)

 

Luke continues to communicate with these 'Listeners,' like it's really going to make a difference if they team up with a bunch of vagabonds from the ass end of nowhere.

 

~

 

It's been a full year and the girl, Rey, has started sending him messages.To what end, he's not sure.He doesn't respond to them.He watches them all, though, and goes to sleep restless, a phantom ache between his shoulders, though that bruise has long since faded.

 

~

 

He's not sure what makes him say yes.The message he responds to isn't anything particularly special.It's not even one of the ones where Rey's telling him some made-up story about the Force that she thinks he needs to know. No, in this latest one, she's talking about scavenging parts from a star destroyer.Her voice is pleasant and he's not entirely bored, although he's sure that his father would find the subject far more interesting.

 

The point is, it's mundane.Startlingly so.

 

Perhaps it's the third padawan who left not a week ago.Perhaps it's the way his mother's already infrequent letters have all but stopped coming entirely.Perhaps it's the way some of the other padawans have pulled even further away from him than they had before. Perhaps he's just tired of going through the motions with Luke and pretending it's making a damn bit of difference.

 

(Perhaps it's the voice in the back of his head that hums with interest when he thinks of her.)

 

~

 

When he exits the ship and steps out into Jakku's hells cape climate, Rey greets him with her arms crossed over her chest and a small smirk."Told you you'd be back."

 

He rolls his eyes, but supposes she's earned the right to be a little smug. For now.

 

His uncle's voice appears from over his shoulder, breaking the odd little connection they'd forged in this moment.

 

"Ben, are you sure-"

 

"Yes, it's fine. Go grab your scrolls and take them back to your good little children.I'm sure it'll be a lot easier holding onto them without the problem child skulking around."

 

"Ben, that's not-"

 

"Uncle, really," he says, trying to sound calm and soothing instead of snarky and resentful. "I promise it's fine.Besides, you'll see us both in a year anyway."

 

~

 

Luke eventually does take the scrolls.And an elder (who's probably only about forty or so, but on Jakku that probably does actually count as an elder). And a necklace. It doesn't seem to do much besides look pretty, but Luke seems to think it's important.

 

Before he leaves, though, there's a wedding. Not surprising - that was the entire point, after all. It's more intricate than Ben was expecting.The Listeners have apparently been doing quite a lot of preparation while he and Luke were traveling to Jakku in tense semi-silence.

 

They dress him in an outfit that was definitely originally made for someone at least a bit shorter and considerably slimmer than he is.The fabric clings and stretches around his arms and shoulders and doesn't quiet reach across his chest.He leaves about half the clasps unbuttoned and hopes it looks intentional and suave instead of a bit stupid.(Not that he cares what any of these people think.)

 

Th embroidery is nice, he will admit - delicate, swirling lines of red against a soft, black fabric.It's a nice change of pace from the variations of beige and grey he's been wearing for nearly half his life at this point.

 

(Again, not that he cares about any of this.)

 

The ceremony begins at twilight.Ben steps out of the little tent he's been sitting in and into a circle of Listeners.In each of their hands is a small stone bowl containing a single, flickering flame.He's not quite sure what to do so he just stands there, which turns out to be the correct choice.

 

He doesn't understand most of the ceremony; it takes place in at least two languages he doesn't speak with only a smattering of Standard thrown in here and there, but the singing is quite pretty - intricate harmonies with a single low drone holding them together.There are some prayers-that-might-be-speeches with a lot of talk of the Dark and the Light uniting and finding balance of which Ben is less of a fan.He doesn't want to think too hard about which one he's supposed to be in this scenario.

 

(By the look on Luke's face, he's not the biggest fan of this part either.)

 

Ben doesn't have too long to think on it, though, because Rey appears and all other thoughts fly out of his head. He'd known she was beautiful - this isn't news - but the way she looks now…

 

She looks like an angel from a Tatooine legend.Her clothes, like his own, have obviously been passed down from others before her.The white cloth is so thin in placesthat it's nearly translucent and he can see where a few of the tiny blue beads have fallen off and gone missing.The embroidery is still spectacular - a mirror of that on his own but in splintering patterns of light blue and purple instead of red.And though some have fallen off, there are still enough shimmering beads at the center of the intricate fractal patterns to give the impression that she's glowing in the flickering firelight.

 

She's holding a flame in a small bowl of her own.The way the light illuminates her face is nothing short of magical.She's singing and he doesn't recognize the words, but it's beautiful, so beautiful, and for the first time in all of this he feels guilty.

 

It takes him a beat too long to realize she's extending the bowl to him, that he should probably be doing something with it.She starts the song over again rather than leave him in awkward silence and makes a pointed look at the bowl and her hands.He reaches out to her, slowly, and she gives him a slight nod.

 

His hands are trembling - why are they trembling? - and he's holding his breath, but he doesn't know why.His fingers brush against hers and, fine, maybe he gasps a little bit, but he's pretty sure no one but Rey notices, what with all the singing. It's the first time they've touched - skin-to-skin, that is - and he marvels at her small, calloused fingers beneath his own. 

 

He knows it's all bullshit.Still, a part of Ben that feels young and stupid wishes his parents were here. That same part wonders if they even know he's getting married. Or if they care.

 

~

 

His wedding night is not quite what he was expecting…although he's not entirely sure what he was expecting.

 

Rey's shoes are gone and her hair has long since abandoned the braided arrangement she had been wearing earlier.As she pulls him into a tiny tent, she asks him,"Can you get the ties?" before turning her back on him with not so much as a backwards glance.

 

"Sure," he mumbles, managing to sound nonchalant despite the fact that his heart is pounding.The ties are simple and he manages to loosen then without too much fumbling.

 

"Thanks!"And then she's shimmying out of her outfit and he's faced with her bare back. They've barely spoken - well she's spoken at him - and they've only just touched hands and he hasn't even kissed anyone (Markhan doesn't count - that was just an experiment) and he's not ready, he doesn't know what to do, he-

 

He turns around to give himself a little space and starts undoing the few clasps that he'd managed to fasten earlier.His fingers are trembling again and he hopes she doesn't see.He's removed his top and folded it into a nice little pile (yes, sure, maybe he took a bit more time with it than absolutely necessary) when he feels a bit of cloth placed over his shoulder.

 

"Here you go - hopefully that'll fit a bit better."

 

He turns around and isn't confronted with her bare chest as he had expected (hoped, dreaded).Instead, she's dressed in a large shapeless tunic hat he supposes is a night shirt.

 

That must be what she's given him as well.

 

"The other one was traditional," she continues, while his mind plays catch up. "But there's no reason for you to sleep in something too small."

 

Oh. Right. Okay. Should he put it on?He should put it on. Right?

 

He puts it on, struggling with the sleeves a bit and wonders what he should do next.Rey brushes past him and flops somewhat gracelessly onto the sleeping mat on the floor.He follows, slower and infinitely more carefully.He's lying on his back, stiff as a board with his heart hammering in his chest.Rey says a quick, cheerful "Good night!" before blowing out the tiny candle and turning away from him to curl herself into a small, tight ball.

 

They are left in darkness and silence.Rey starts snoring lightly.

 

Ben is torn between being deeply relieved and deeply disappointed.

 

~

 

The training Ben gets from the Listeners both is and isn't what he was expecting.There's still quite a lot of meditating, which is frustrating…which, in turn, makes the meditating less productive and even more frustrating. 

 

Then there are the chores.Luke had been fond of menial labor as well, but the Listeners manage to make him feel even more like a beast of burden - possibly because he's easily taller and heavier than even the largest of them.Water from the well.Parts from the ships.Back and forth, back and forth.It's pointless except it's not because, unlike with Luke, if he doesn't do it he'll starve to death.

 

The singing's new.He's nervous about it at first, which he covers up by talking about how dumb and pointless it all us.He hasn't sung anything since his voice started to crack before he left to go with Luke.He's pretty sure all of that's done now, but he'd still rather not risk it.Not in front of Rey.

 

He eventually gives in. It's not as embarrassing as he worried it would be.Everyone else is singing and he manages to find a register that works for him and then there's Rey singing next to him, her tiny hand in his.After a few weeks he even likes it.He's always loved music and it brings him this odd calm that traditional meditation never had.He doesn't tell any of the Listeners that.

 

(They probably know all the same.)

 

The new Forms are what have him most excited - when they finally get to them, that is, after what is, in Ben's opinion, an unnecessarily long waiting period.They're low to the ground - all thighs and kicks and quick jabs form beneath.Others - brutal, angular swipes of almost ugly efficiency.

 

He brings his own flare, sometimes.The elders appreciate it just about as much as Luke had.

 

( _"You're here to learn how to fight like a Jedi, not to learn how to join your father in a bar fight.")_

 

Rey seems to like it, though. "You'll show me how to do that later, yeah?"

 

He does.They sneak off in the evening - no one questions it, a benefit of being married - and he throws her on her back again and again until she can do it to him.The sunset glows behind her as she smiles down on him, biting her lip.He tries not to think too closely about how the whole thing makes him hard as a rock.

 

There are other things, too, things Ben thinks his uncle would not approve of.Some of the texts he reads (when he can finally make it through a full paragraph of the language, that is) say some pretty scandalous stuff.They speak a bit too fondly of the Dark Side, for one.For another, there's an awful lot about sex.The weird obsession with him and Rey getting married starts to make a bit more sense.

 

He gets better at reading rather quickly.

 

~

 

For the first few months, their nights together are much like the first.Ben lies on his back, nervous and awkward, feeling like he's taking up infinitely too much space.Rey curls up, somehow making herself even smaller than she is normally.Sometimes they wake up like this.Sometimes they wake up in a tangle of limbs.It doesn't change anything either way.

 

That's not to say that things don't change.

 

It happens during one of their evening sparring sessions when Ben and Rey are teaching other…supplemental material.It's Rey's turn this time.He's learned, in their time together, that she has not always lived amongst the Listeners.For years, she had lived on her own, burrowed away in broken AT-AT, scraping together portions from salvaged parts with no one to help her when she fell ill or fell on hard times.

 

"My parents - they promised they'd be back, so I waited.Two thousand three hundred and twenty-four days.Then the Listeners found me.They knew what I was, what I could do.So I started waiting with them."

 

She'd learned more than a few things in those years alone; she'd had to in order to stay alive.So they're playing with staffs.Training. _Training_ with staffs.

 

Ben and Rey are each other's equals with the saber, but she's got years on him with the staff.It shows. In a quick flurry of movements she hits him square on the arm and, as he goes to block her next movement, she feints and sweeps his legs out from under him.He lands on his back with a thump and before he can move to get up, she's standing above him, straddling his torso.

 

"Gotcha," she says with a smirk, the tip of her staff almost caressing the crook of his neck.

 

He reaches out with the Force and, with a playful tug, pulls her onto his lap.

 

"You sure about that?" he asks with a smirk that he definitely didn't learn from Han Solo.

 

There's a quick flash and then a small knife has appeared from fuck-knows-where and it's at his throat."Yeah, pretty sure."

 

He should say something, but his throat has gone dry and he's suddenly very aware that she's on his crotch.Rey seems to be aware, too.The smirk slides off her face and her gaze locks onto his.Their breaths even out into a unified, steady rhythm.She throws the blade aside.

 

Her lips crash into his. Literally crash - Ben's lip is cut against his own teeth and he can taste blood.He doesn't flinch at it.He buries his hands in her hair and kisses her with everything he has.Which isn't much at first, granted.It's been ages since he's kissed anyone and even then it was only the once.But he knows the general principle.He opens his mouth and then she opens hers and it's not too long until they find a rhythm. She sucks on his lip and one of his hands goes from her cheek to her hip without him consciously putting it there.He pushes her against him and - oh, that's nice.

 

She pushes back, sits up in his lap and he's not quite sure what to make of it.Are they alright? She had kissed him first - very decidedly so, so she can't be mad at him, right?

 

"Let's go home," she says, breathless. "Don't wanna do this in the sand."

 

Home, yeah.That sounds nice.She's so smart, his wife.

 

His wife.Oh, fuck.

 

They don't run, but it's a near thing and she's already stripping off her top before the tent flap has fully closed behind them.Her breasts are beautiful and he scoops her up by her thighs so he can pop one into his mouth. Rey moans and runs her fingers through his hair and Ben feels like a genius.

 

He flops onto their sleeping mat with Rey still pressed against him and spends the next few minutes worshipping both her breasts.

 

"Come on, Ben," she pants into their hushed silence of their tiny tent. "I want to see you, too."

 

He has never undressed so quickly in his entire life.

 

Rey seems to like his chest quite a lot as well and, when she uses her teeth, Ben lets out a moan that he's pretty sure the whole camp can hear.She touches herself as she explores his body with her mouth - practiced, quick, focused little movements.His own movements still and he loses track of what he's doing as he simply watches her in awe and fascination.

 

She stops when she notices and looks up at him."Are you alright?"

 

He nods, swallows.

 

"I think….I think I'd like to have you inside me," she says and his cock twitches at her works. "Is that okay?"

 

He nods again.He's simultaneously grateful and annoyed that she asks.This would be a lot less frustrating (frightening) if there was a lot less talking.

 

She doesn't continue interrogating him, which is nice, just kneels and positions herself over his cock, which is even nicer.It's hot and wet and Ben's brain is floating away on a wave of sensation.She slowly lowers himself down and, fuck, he's going to spill himself right then and there.He's going to shame himself and Rey's going to ask for a divorce and the Listeners will kick him out and it will ruin relations with the Jedi and the New Republic will fail and it will be all his fault because he couldn't stop himself from-

 

She slides the rest of the way down in one quick movement.He doesn't come, but it's a close thing, especially with Rey's face above him screwed up in a grimace of pleasure with her mouth slightly open.He shuts his eyes and breathes through his nose and manages not to lose all dignity in a matter of seconds.

 

When he finally opens his eyes, she's smiling down at him in all her sweaty glory.She pushes herself up slowly before thrusting back down quickly.Again and again and sure, he managed to at least get fully inside her, but this isn't going to last long.He thumbs her left nipple and uses the other hand to guide her hips as he thrust up into her, matching her rhythm with his own.

 

He's making embarrassing, pleading noises again, but he can't be bothered to care.It's good, it's so good, but it's not quite what he needs and then he's flipping them over and rutting into her.His climax is rushing at him when she scratches lightly up his back and moans a soft "Ben" into his ear.

 

His whole world goes white and he finds himself gasping "I love you" into the crook of her neck, but he can't be sure she heard because now she's moaning and clenching around him.They come down and slip apart, but she still sprawls half her body across his and nuzzles under his chin.

 

"See, I told you we were destined."

 

Her words are ice between his ribs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things change when it's time for Ben and Rey to go back to Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part two - Happy New Year!

 

Ben doesn't take her the next night.Nor the night after that. The third night she turns to him sweetly and cups his cheek.She nuzzles his nose before planting soft, barely-there kisses on his lips and he can almost pretend it's just because she cares about him. Maybe if he were a better person, maybe if he were Luke Skywalker, he'd be able to turn her down. But he isn't and he doesn't.

 

After a while, he stops waiting for her to reach for him first.

 

~

 

When the year finally ends, he's less excited to leave Jakku than he was expecting. Rey is outright nervous, possibly even upset.It's the first time he's ever seen her like this, truth be told.She's always been this powerful, confident force of nature - sometimes to the point of being deeply annoying.But their upcoming departure has her withdrawn and quiet - a lost, anxious, little girl.

 

"Hey, I came all the way out here for you," he says and immediately knows it was the wrong thing to say.

 

She doesn't snap at him like he probably deserves."What if they come back and I'm not here?"

 

Ben knows Jedi are not supposed to hate, but he does.He hates them, these nameless, faceless shitstains that have hurt her like this. He pulls her into an embrace and it's the first time he's touched her like this outside of the confines of their tent.She lets him, though, and burrows her face into his chest. 

 

"Rey," he starts and then stops.He wishes he knew how to be delicate. "Rey, they're not coming back."

 

He can feel her tears seeping through the thin fabric of his shirt.He doesn't know how to fix this. 

 

"But they're my family…I have to-" she mumbles and sniffles into his skin. "I can't just give up on them."

 

He holds her tighter.

 

"I'm your family, too."

 

He's not sure she hears him; it's barely even an exhale.Regardless, when it comes time to leave, she doesn't make a fuss. Just clutches at the hem of her tunic until her knuckles turn white, crying silently as the planet gets smaller and smaller.

 

~

 

When they arrive at Luke's tiny encampment, it's pouring rain.While Ben never truly adapted to Jakku's desert climate, the moisture still comes as an unwanted shock.He doesn't like the way it makes his hair slick down and stick to his face, either.Rey, though-

 

The way she stands beneath the downpour, arms outstretched, face upturned…Ben burns the image into his memory, caresses the lines of her face and smile with his eyes over and over again.He never wants to forget this.

 

Luke puts them in separate huts.Ben can't believe he hadn't thought of this ahead of time. He doesn't have a counterargument ready.Rey doesn't protest either, which hurts a lot more than he has any right to.

 

~

 

It's weird being back.It's all so rigid and sanitized and….heartless.Ben didn't think he'd miss the Listeners and their strange, fairytale approach to the Force, but he does.He finds himself humming the songs they taught him as he goes about his chores. 

 

Rey fits in astonishingly well.At first, that is.

 

She's incredibly determined and masters the Jedi forms with an ease that has Ben a little bit jealous.She's also a pretty young woman, which is of great interest to at least seven of his fellow students.They flirt and joke and smile and, even though he's doing quite a lot of meditating, Ben doesn't know if he's ever felt less serene in his life.She's his wife.They know she's his wife.She knows she's his wife.That's supposed to mean something, right? 

 

(The problem is, Ben doesn't know what that something is.And, at this point, he's too terrified to ask.)

 

Her brand of patience isn't soft and submissive, though. It's a blunt, hard, relentless patience that Ben cannot help but admire. She doesn't bow her head and shut her mouth and mutter "yes master."She pours over fragments and scraps of outdated texts until she nearly goes crosseyed.She asks question after question until Luke runs out of answers.It starts to make Luke…irritated.A special brand of nervous and irritated that Ben had thought was reserved solely for him.The other students notice and begin to distance themselves from her.Nothing overt or malicious, but the jokes and camaraderie fade.

 

Rey's not stupid; she notices.And although she's good at hiding her hurt, Ben can feel it all the same.As much as he hated the way they used to steal her from him, this is infinitely worse.

 

(There's a voice that stokes this anger.It's one thing when it's him, but it's harder not to listen when it's about her.)

 

~

 

It must tear at her more than she lets on because, one night, as he's getting ready for bed, he looks up to see her silhouetted and silent in his doorway.

 

"Rey?"

 

"Can I stay here tonight?"

 

He doesn't trust himself to say yes in a way that's not going to make it insanely obvious he's been hoping for this for months now.He settles on a nod.She hops into bed with him and puts her frigidly cold feet against his calves and elbows him in the ribs a few time as she snuggles up to him.The bed is barely big enough for Ben, definitely not big enough for two people.

 

It's the best night of sleep he's had since they left Jakku.

 

The next night, he's barely out of his shoes before he's met with a lapful of Rey.Her tongue's in his mouth and she's scratching her nails at his neck before he can so much as say her name.His hands go to her hips and he pushes her down against him and _oh-_

 

"I've missed this," she moans into his ear as she rides him.

 

_I've missed you_ , he thinks, but doesn't say.

 

~

 

She slips into his hut more often than she doesn't and they fuck nearly as often. One of the others must have gone and tattled to Luke (or perhaps he found out himself - an option that Ben doesn't want to examine too closely).He sits them down and starts to give them a lecture.Or he tries, at least; Rey insists on standing.

 

He starts talking and it's infuriating how reasonable and compassionate he sounds. Ben's heart starts to sink because this is it, this is when he loses her even more.But Rey doesn't let him finish.

 

"He's my husband.You agreed to this or were you lying?"

 

She crosses her arms and juts out her chin and her tone brooks absolutely no argument.

 

Ben doesn't even bother trying not to smirk.

 

~

 

Something shifts after that. 

 

His uncle has always been wary of him, both more and less obvious about it than his parents were.But now he can feel his uncle's eyes following him, feel his eyes on them both.It's so fucking stupid.It's just _sex_ ; why is Luke like this?

 

Ben thinks maybe it's time the tables were turned.

 

Luke's taking some of the younger students out for an evening excursion when Ben sneaks into his hut.He's not sure what he's looking to find, what his goals are beyond getting a small thrill of doing what he's not supposed to (he thought he'd outgrown that particular impulse, but apparently not).

 

His eyes rove over the sparse contents of the space before the presence in the back of his mind pushes his attention towards the small data tablet on the bedside table.The password is insanely easy to crack.He combs through the messages with a sort of detached interest at first - more invested in the fact that he's reading them and he's not supposed to be than in what they're actually saying.That is, until-

 

_The Republic can no longer support the nearly unmitigated power that is currently in the hands of Darth Vader's own two children._

 

Ben's world falls into sharp, shattered focus as he continues to read.

The Jedi would no longer be receiving support from-

Possible dissolution of the Jedi Order-

His mother was being opposed-

Possible legal consequences- 

Vader's own two children-

Vader's children-

His children-

Vader.

 

"What are you doing in here?"He hadn't noticed Luke come in.Hadn't felt it.He barely notices he's there now.

 

"Ben, answer me!"

 

He looks up from the words that are destroying his whole universe. Luke is angry.Actually angry.His perfect, heroic uncle. The knowledge is both exhilarating and terrifying.

 

"Get. Out."

 

When Ben gets his mother's letter a few days later, it's too late.

 

~

 

Rey notices something is wrong, but he can't tell her.He can't.She might reject him.Never come to his hut again.Never smile in his direction.Ask for their already sham of a marriage to be dissolved.Or she might embrace it.Might tell him it's all part of some master plan concocted by the Force.That it's why she wanted to marry him in the first place. He doesn't know which one would be worse.

 

So, when she opens her mouth to ask him, he just kisses her hard and strokes her sides and hopes she forgets.Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't.At the very least, she lets it go.

 

~

 

Rey's not in his hut the night it happens.She'd fallen ill the day before and had quarantined herself in an effort to protect him.The sniffling was gross, but adorable.

 

He's dreaming, a darkened blur of violence and screaming, when a familiar voice permeates ever corner of his mind, louder than he's ever heard it before.

 

_Wake up.Wake up, young Solo._

 

His eyes flutter open and his uncle is standing above him, illuminated in the ghastly green glow of his lightsaber.Ben can barely process what's happening.

 

_He's come to kill you._

 

No.He's Ben's uncle, his family; he wouldn't do that.

 

_They've always been afraid of you, afraid of your power.He's come to kill you.Your mother probably even ordered him to.Kill him first.Strike him down.Kill him before he can kill you._

 

He ignites his lightsaber and reaches out with the Force, ready to pull the hut down on both of them, to end it all right now.

 

But, before he has the chance, Luke crumples to the ground.Rey is standing above him, an empty vase still clutched in both her hands.Her eyes are wide with shock.They just stare at each other, frozen.Then Rey sniffles, breaking the silence.

 

"He was going to kill me."

 

"I know."A sniffle."We've got to get out of here.We can take one of the ships; I know how to fly it."

 

He packs as quickly as possible and follows her, grateful to be led.

 

"It'll be alright, Ben; I promise. You're not alone."

 

He's not, is he?He doesn't know what he would have done if he were.

 

They sneak away in the middle of the night and this time it's Ben's turn to tremble and weep as they leave the planet.

 

_You need to leave her.She'll only betray you and drag you down.She's just like everyone else and you can't trust her._

 

Ben stares out into the bleak emptiness of space and tries to will the voice into silence.It doesn't quite work.

 

~

 

"We can't go to the Listeners," Ben tells her the next day, when he sees what coordinates she has set.

 

Rey's face crumples into confusion, "Why not? They liked you well enough.I mean, I know you don't like Jakku, but we could make a life-"

 

"It's not that." Well, it mostly isn't. "It's just…It's one of the first places anyone will look.We can't put them in danger like that. If he's willing to kill his own nephew, what do you think he'll do to a bunch of strangers?"

 

Rey looks like she wants to protest, but doesn't.Just nods and resets their coordinates to some black market outpost.They sell the ship with the tracker it no doubt has and buy a new one.Cramped and small, but fast.

 

After that, Ben sets their coordinates at random.Again and again, they flit about the universe.It doesn't really matter where.

 

Well, it mostly doesn't. The voice, Snoke, as it's started calling itself, keeps trying to push his hand every time it hovers over the control panel.He figures that there, wherever it might be, is probably not somewhere he wants to go.

 

~

 

At some point, Snoke must get tired of asking nicely.

 

They're on Folsom IX, a place that's half-moon, half-spacecraft, all shithole.They've got to grab a new hyperdrive, though; black market ships don't exactly come with a warranty. They wander through the gutted corpses of dead spaceships and, in a way, it's almost like being back on Jakku. Except with less sand.

 

They choose one that looks the least beat up and then spend the next twenty minutes or so haggling the price down to something remotely reasonable.Ben eventually gets bored and frustrated and _maybe_ uses a little bit of the Force to smooth the process.Rey raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn't comment.

 

They're nearly back to the ship when they're bombarded by blaster fire.Rey roles out of the way and Ben manages tolevitate a bit of scrap metal in front of his face to block the onslaught just in time.Then their sabers are out and they're back to back, facing their attackers. One, two, three, four, five, six.

 

It's been a while since they've practiced, Ben thinks ruefully. They can still take them. 

 

It's not easy.Whoever hired them didn't spare any expense.Each has their own set of weapons and a different fighting style Ben has to keep up with.Ben and Rey dive and block and slash and, prophecy or no, they've always fought well together.He's scared, but it still feels good, feels right; the Force is singing around them.He ducks and she lunges; he thrusts down and she braces herself against his body to kick two of their attackers back.

 

They draw on their knowledge from both the Jedi and the Listeners. There's a bit of their own flavor as well, Ben note with more than a hint satisfaction as he rams one of their attacker's skulls into the bulkhead.One down.

 

Rey shouts like some savage desert predator as she feints and parries then cuts the legs out from under one of them.He screams, but not for long; she buries her saber through the front of his mask and then there's silence.That's two.

 

They're getting separated.The assassins are doing it on purpose, Ben knows, but there are still too many of them and he can't quite stop it. They're being pushed and pushed and soon Rey is behind him, but he cannot keep his focus away from her.

 

It's why he doesn't quite block the blade that slices down his face and pushes him backwards.

 

"Ben!"

 

He's face to face with what will probably be a killing blow, but it never lands.Instead the assassin's goes flying off as Rey cuts through his neck in a single stroke.Three.

 

"Rey, behind you!"

 

She blocks the one blade, but not the other - it slices through her upper arm.She snarls, but doesn't halt her attack.Ben follows her lead and lunges at the other two.They're quick, but Ben's quicker - one, two, block, dodge, push.It's fine, Ben's handling it, but then one of them is gone.The Force is screaming at him; he cuts through the fighter in front of him - aggressive, frantic, artless slashes.He whips his head around and his heart is in his throat.

 

He's not going to make it.He has to make it. Ben runs, reaches out, thrusts his saber to intercept the blade before it can hit Rey.He succeeds, but it leaves his flank open and exposed.

 

A blade slipping through his ribs.He knows it's coming before he sees it.And he sees it go in before he feels it.

 

"Ben!" Her scream is barely human.She's gritting her teeth and hacking at the remaining two as he falls.

 

_Rey, your form is terrible,_ he thinks absently before he hits the floor. 

 

The impact wakes him up the pain he hasn't been feeling.He gasps, clutches his fingers, no, _claws_ at the floor as his vision blurs.It hurts to breathe, but he has to breathe, has to help Rey.Where is she?

 

His hand is wet.There's blood.So much.Is it his?

 

There's shouting, but he can't quite make out what they're saying.He should pay attention.Where's Rey?

 

"I'm here.I'm here, Ben," she says.It's gone quieter.What's happening?

 

"Ben, it's going to be alright; I'm here."She's crying. Why is she crying?He tries to ask, but it's hard to speak.She cries harder.

 

"Ben, please! Please, just hold on," she's begging and it's horrible. She should never beg. So he tries; he really does.But it's so cold. 

 

Ben drifts and Rey screams.

 

~

 

Ben wakes up slowly, then all at once.Rey's face is before him, blotchy - her eyes bloodshot and wet with tears yet unshed.

 

"Rey, what- Are you alright?"He's not sure what happened, but he's going to kill whoever hurt her.He tries to sit up, to get a better grasp on the situation, but his entire abdomen screams in protest and he collapses back onto the bed with a quick gasp.

 

She sniffles - once, twice - then: "You nearly died."

 

His brow furrows in confusion.

 

_A blade descending on Rey. A slice across his face. A burning, piercing pain through his abdomen. Rey's hands on him, covered in blood.Pressing, pressing…_

 

"You were bleeding out in my arms! I-" She hiccups and it's a mix of heartbreaking and adorable. "I could feel you leaving me."

 

"Can't imagine that was the destiny you signed up for, having your husband bleed out it some glorified junkyard."

 

"No, not for- not for that!I don't-That doesn't- _"_ she says, rubbing furiously at the tears that have started making their way down her cheeks again. "You can't leave me.Please.Not like everyone else."

 

He pulls her forward, gently (he doesn't have the strength for anything else, truth be told), so that her forehead is resting against his own.Tears drip down her nose and onto his.

 

"I won't.I promise," he breathes into the air between them, "but, Rey, I think…Rey, I think maybe you should leave me.It's not safe."

 

She's already shaking her head against his.It's a bit funny even as it makes his headache worse (better to focus on either of those rather than the way his heart is breaking).

 

"No."

 

"Rey, at some point _someone_ is going to find me.Whether it's Luke or-" Snoke, the Listeners, maybe his own mother for all he knows. "someone else…I'm not a safe person to be around."

 

"I don't care."

 

_Why does she always have to be so stubborn?_ "You should.Please, Rey, just lis-"

 

"No - I love you and I'm not leaving you and there's nothing you can say to change my mind!"

 

She- Oh.

 

"You love me?" He sounds utterly besotted and he doesn't care.He'll blame his injuries and the drugs she's pumped him with later.

 

She pulls back, cocks her head, and gives him a small smile through the tears still streaming down her face.Well, that's good at least.Another loud sniffle and then, "You really didn't know?"

 

"In my defense, the first time we had sex you told me it was the will of the Force," Ben points out.

 

"Fair enough," she says with a small laugh before her expression slips into something softer, more breakable. "I think I'd still love you even if it weren't, though."

 

There's not really much he can say to that.Well, there is, but his brain is still fuzzy and he's a bit afraid of making an ass of himself so he pulls her head down towards his and kisses her gently.It's slow and soft, none of the frenzied energy that is usually a feature of these sorts of activities.

 

"We'll stay together then, yeah?" Rey says, little more than a whisper.

 

Ben nods. 

 

"Together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The events and timeline of Bloodline have been messed with slightly, I know.
> 
> Also, this chapter isn't trying to paint Luke as a big bad dude. Like canon, Ben's take on a lot of this has been influenced by his limited info and POV (as well as Snoke, tbh).


End file.
